Rolling conductor supports for supporting a flexible conductor of power between a stationary power supply and a reciprocally moving consumer of power are now well known to the art. An example of a rolling conductor support is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,854 to Cork, owned by a wholly owned subsidiary of the assignee of the present invention. The structure disclosed includes parallel chains connected together by a conductor brace. Connections between adjacent generally planar links fix the limits of rotation between the links. By limiting the rotation between adjacent links, the bending radius of the support is determined to avoid damaging the conductors. Other types of rolling conductor supports exist. Usually, rolling conductor supports only allow the conductors to bend to a limited degree in a single direction of rotation.
Modular conductor carriers fabricated from plastic are believed to have been first introduced into the United States by Kabelschlepp, a manufacturer located in Seigen, West Germany. An example of that type of enclosed modular carrier is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,619, and is distributed by a wholly owned subsidiary of the assignee of the present invention. The modular carrier has integral sidewalls, top, and bottom to encircle a supported conductor. A portion of the sidewalls of a carrier nest within an opposite end of a successive carrier. The nested portion of the sidewall carries an integral connecting pin which interfits within a hole of the nesting carrier to connected successive carriers. The bending radius of the support is partially fixed by an integral stop pin which abuts the end portion of the sidewall of the nesting link. Recognizing the inconvenience of threading conductors through the carriers of long conductor supports Kabelschlepp has introduced a flip top carrier.
The flip top carrier has a longitudinal hinge pin integral with a sidewall. The elongated top, which restrains the conductors within the U-shaped body, has hinged jaws at one end which firmly embrace the hinge pin. Access to the interior of the U-shaped body is achieved by snapping a notched resilient leg at the other end of the top, away from a lip on the sidewall and pivoting the top about 180 degrees through its range of free travel. Additional distinctions between the enclosed and flip top carriers exist. An integral notched reinforcing rib extends along the bottom of the U-shaped body. The rib extends upwards along the sidewalls to form a stop projection which interacts with a nested sidewall of a successive link to partially fix the bending radius of the support. A notched rib also extends from the hinge jaws, along the top to abut the sidewall carrying the lip. Neither the enclosed nor the flip top carriers are offered in large carrier sizes.
It is believed that their manufacturer has sold larger conductor supports with plastic links in Europe. The plastic KR 385 link has projecting walls which define a kidney-shaped enclosure at one end of a link. At the other end of the link, kidney-shaped projections fit within the kidney enclosures of a successive link to fix the bending radius of the support. The links in a chain are connected together by a split pin which snaps into a connecting hole of a successive link. The parallel chains forming a support are interconnected by an oval metallic conductor brace which is screwed onto the links.
Brevettato of Milano, Italy, is believed to have sold a larger size plastic link in Europe also. The Brevettato SR-308 link fixes the bending radius of the support by an internal projection cooperating with a notch in the link end of a successive link.
Cable separators having flared jaws at either end to grasp conductor retaining means have been employed to locate conductors within a region of a conductor carrier.
Typically, changing the bending radius of a conductor support has entailed modifying the sidewall or link structure of a carrier. The dimensions of pins, slots, or sidewall ends were enlarged, diminished, or they were relocated. As a result manufacturers often kept a variety of links or carriers in inventory to fill the needs of customers requiring differing bending radii.